Every now and then developments in the global warming debate induce a deep-from-the-belly round of laughter. No, not the spit-your-coffee-out-of-your-mouth burst of comical surprise, but rather a deep, jovial, mirthful, full-body, prolonged healthy laugh.

Last month, the IPCC smacking down Michael Mann for publicly and repeatedly claiming to be a Nobel Laureate provided just such a laugh. This month, the honor goes to David Suzuki.

The Heartland Institute sent a copy of Rael Isaac’s excellent book, Roosters of the Apocalypse, along with a cordial introductory note, to Canadian climate alarmist David Suzuki. Suzuki sent the book back along with a reply that still has us in a deep-belly Santa Claus laugh:

“I am a scientist and I take great umbrage at being sent such a load of crap from a bullshit shill organization for the oil industry. You are the most anti-science group I can imagine.”

A true scientist would consider the arguments of the other side before sending a book back pre-judged and unread.

Although global warming may have added a few inches to sea level prior to Hurricane Sandy’s 17-foot storm surge, global warming in other ways may have lessened Hurricane Sandy’s intensity and impacts, climate scientist Chip Knappenberger reports. We cannot be sure what role global warming may have played regarding Hurricane Sandy, but the case for global warming increasing the intensity and impacts of Hurricane Sandy is scientifically weak, writes Knappenberger.

“[T]here is no evidence that there are changes in the strength, frequency, duration, location or direction of propagation of El Niño and La Niña anomalies caused by global warming during the period from 1871 to 2008,” concludes a newly published paper in the peer-reviewed Journal of Geophysical Research. “As has been previously shown for the strength and location of [El Niño events] there is little overall trend in the characteristics,” the study observes.

A soon-to-be-published study co-authored by University of Oslo atmospheric science professor Terje Berntsen concludes the Earth’s atmosphere is less sensitive to carbon dioxide emissions than IPCC computer models suggest. Global temperatures are likely to rise one-third more slowly from carbon dioxide emissions than predicted by IPCC computer models, the new study reports.

Human-induced global warming may have prevented the Earth from entering a new ice age epoch, a team of Swedish scientists report in the peer-reviewed Mires and Peat. Studying peatlands that serve as carbon dioxide sinks, the scientists concluded the Little Ice Age may have marked the beginning of a full-blown ice age epoch if not for human-induced global warming. “There is a great deal of evidence to suggest that we are near the end of the current interglacial,” the scientists report.